The Prime Minister could not have won tonight’s vote seeing off Yvette Cooper and Oliver Letwin’s efforts to seize control of the Brexit negotiations from the executive. Had just one MP voted the other way, it would have been a tie.

This would have given the Speaker the casting vote. By longstanding convention the Speaker’s vote is cast to maintain the status quo – so we can expect John Bercow to have handed control of the biggest single policy issue facing the country to a backbench cabal.

In terms of personalities it’s exactly the same band who through their weight behind Powell’s amendment, minus Halfon.